title: LdFlabarin, a new BAR domain membrane protein of Leishmania flagellum.
abstract: During the Leishmania life cycle, the flagellum undergoes successive assembly and disassembly of hundreds of proteins. Understanding these processes necessitates the study of individual components. Here, we investigated LdFlabarin, an uncharacterized L. donovani flagellar protein. The gene is conserved within the Leishmania genus and orthologous genes only exist in the Trypanosoma genus. LdFlabarin associates with the flagellar plasma membrane, extending from the base to the tip of the flagellum as a helicoidal structure. Site-directed mutagenesis, deletions and chimera constructs showed that LdFlabarin flagellar addressing necessitates three determinants: an N-terminal potential acylation site and a central BAR domain for membrane targeting and the C-terminal domain for flagellar specificity. In vitro, the protein spontaneously associates with liposomes, triggering tubule formation, which suggests a structural/morphogenetic function. LdFlabarin is the first characterized Leishmania BAR domain protein, and the first flagellum-specific BAR domain protein.
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR 5290, Montpellier, France ; Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France ; Centre Hospitalier Universitaire La Colombière, Montpellier, France ; IRD 224, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tetaud
authors.forename: Magali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thonnus
authors.forename: Bénédicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Salin
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boissier
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blancard
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sauvanet
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Metzler
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Espiau
authors.forename: Annelise
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sahin
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Merlin
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D019295:Computational Biology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005407:Flagella / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007891:Leishmania / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008081:Liposomes / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D010802:Phylogeny; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D008081:Liposomes; D008565:Membrane Proteins